


circuitry

by Airheart



Category: Transformers: Prime
Genre: Canon Compliant, Chirolinguistics, Established Relationship, Injury, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-30
Updated: 2017-01-30
Packaged: 2018-09-20 21:29:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9516998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Airheart/pseuds/Airheart
Summary: Knock Out sees about repairing Soundwave's cracked visor. (Set directly after "Hurt")





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [raininshadows](https://archiveofourown.org/users/raininshadows/gifts).



> a treat for you! i really liked your insight on the relationship between knock out and soundwave, how they don't seem to have any issues with each other despite being so different, so i tried to address that a bit
> 
> i also went with soundwave's backstory from the covenant of primus, which conflicts with the exodus novel for some reason... if we ignore soundwave talking in exodus, though, the transition from councilor to gladiator could work
> 
> anyway, hope you like it!! happy valentine's day!

Only after Hardshell’s body had been properly drained and taken to the warship’s furnace to be melted down did Soundwave make his way to the medical suite, where Knock Out was polishing one of the headlights on his chest and scowling. He glanced up as Soundwave entered, and his expression softened.

“I thought you might be an Insecticon coming from the mine explosion,” he said, and threw down his buffing cloth. “Not that I would have provided any medical care for one of those beasts. They’re more valuable as scrap metal, if you ask me. Sit,” he added, pointing to a berth. Soundwave did so.

“Defeated by a mere human,” Knock Out continued, as he gathered his equipment. “I would have enjoyed seeing that—almost as much as I would have liked to see the fight that cracked your visor.” He vented a loud gust of air, shaking his head. “I miss out on everything.”

He laid out his tools, then turned fully to Soundwave, scrutinizing him. Soundwave stared back, or at least appeared to—his visor had never been very expressive, but the cracks spidering across its surface now made it even more dessicate. From the inside, his vision was staticky, and it flickered intermittently, occasionally obscured by a system warning. He was lucky that Wheeljack’s blow hadn’t blinded him completely.

Knock Out took Soundwave’s head in his hands, tilting it this way and that, checking for more cracks none too gently. Soundwave suspected that he was still a bit sore about Megatron humiliating him for failing to bring back a relic and praising Soundwave in the same breath.

“Hm, the damage doesn’t look too severe... but with face screens like this, it never appears to be as bad as it really is.” Knock Out took a step back and presented his hands palm-up to Soundwave. Now,” he said, “why don’t you tell me what happened?”

Hand was Soundwave’s preferred method of communication, ever since he left the Council and vowed silence, but few Decepticons were fluent in chirolinguistics, and even fewer were willing to get close enough to him to utilize it. Not that it mattered—Soundwave’s actions more than spoke for him, and that was the way he wanted it to be. He watched, and he listened, and that served his purpose, but Knock Out persisted for vorns until he got a response from Soundwave that wasn’t a playback of someone else’s words. His determination was charming, Soundwave had decided, and their relationship had progressed from there. Knock Out was a prideful, fickle creature, as different from Soundwave as could be, but he was also skilled in his trade and possessed a rare intelligence. Above all, he was fascinating—Soundwave spent his life watching, and Knock Out certainly gave him something to watch.

His fluency in chirolinguistics was simply a perk.

“Hm,” Knock Out said again, once Soundwave was finished. “That Autobot Wheeljack has been quite the pain in our undercarriages for the past few years.” He traced one of the cracks in the visor’s glass with his digit. “How is your vision? Are there any dead pixels or blotches?”

Soundwave touched Knock Out’s wrist and palm again, and Knock Out nodded thoughtfully.

“Well,” he said, “I might be able to seal the cracks, but you’ll have to remove the visor.” He smiled. “How exciting. I get to see the elusive mech beneath the mask. Has Lord Megatron ever had this pleasure?”

Soundwave did not respond to that. He simply reached up, undid the seals around the rim of his visor, and removed it. His vision went black as soon as it was disconnected.

“Oh,” said Knock Out.

If Soundwave had ever had a face, it was gone now. There were only circuits, and multicolored cables neatly bundled together on the front of his head, and rows of gold connectors set in the rim where the visor lay. It was too much like looking into a Praxian computer—Knock Out suspected that was where the initial installation and programming had taken place. The visor itself was opaque, black enough to hide the wiring underneath and leave quite a lot to the imagination. There had always been many theories about his face, or lack thereof; some bots, mostly higher caste, speculated that Soundwave was really beautiful underneath, and he wore the mask to intimidate opponents in the gladiatorial pits. Others said he was hideous and wore the mask out of shame, and still others asserted that Soundwave had no face at all. Soundwave himself had never confirmed nor denied any of those rumors. Now Knock Out thought that they might all have been true at one time or another.

It was quiet for a few klicks, as Knock Out examined the visor for further damage.

“I have good news and bad news,” he said at last. “The bad news is, this will require more than a simple buff. The core is intact, but I will have to replace the glass and filter on top of it. You’re stuck here with me for a while, unless you want to show the bridge crew all your wiring.”

Soundwave did not move.

“I didn’t think so. Now, the good news is, I’m quite handsome enough for the both of us.” Claws touched Soundwave's chin again, gentler this time, turning his head slightly side to side. “You don’t need a face.” Soundwave registered something like fondness in Knock Out’s voice as he added, “It suits you, anyway.”

If Soundwave had had a mouth, he might have smiled.


End file.
